Past Stories

Manga Studio 5

Do Ya

Anyway, this was a fun one to draw. I think the first panel looks like crap but the rest I’m really happy with. A little something for you Robyn fans too… those big eyes in the fourth panel are my nod of the hat to the King of Comic Boobs: Dean Yeagle. Man, he’s my God for drawing boobs. If I ever get as half as good as him, I’ll be a happy man.

A little ELO for your Thursday and “Do Ya”. A question I’m sure the officer was asking Robyn in today’s comic. Love or hate ELO, this is a good rocker. Crank it.

Discussion (24) ¬

Once again homophobia makes people do dumb things……..
Seriously I never understood why people get so tweaked by a polite pass. Its flattering really. I just tell them I don’t swing that way. If they don’t listen nicely, THEN you can belt them! 🙂

And ELO is my FAVORITE band! I’m still wearing a big brass ELO belt buckle from 1977. My pod has everything the did, the remasters, and even the more questionable box sets. Cough, cough “Afterglow” Cough cough…….

Well, not REAL homophobia, more just knee jerk squick. I suffered from it young, but spending the early 80’s at RHPS got me over it pretty fast.

I really have no issue with Afterglow, but there are a lot of nitpick recording people who have major gripes with it. I was being pretentious, and without the skills “or imagined skills” to justify it. and I’m BUSTED! heh.

Ah, nit-pickers… got it. I ignore them usually (regarding music). I have a few around here that point things out about the comic and I actually love it when someone takes the time to point something out. Helps me see the comic through you reader’s eyes. I see it perfectly of course… I drew it!
🙂

Thanks George! This comic and the next comic originally were just one comic, but there were too many good ideas to fit into one page so I was able to make it a 2-part comic. I’m not one to do that normally, but had to this time. You’ll love Monday for sure…
🙂

And, thanks for the hint in the above comments, Byron. Made me look a bit closer. It would seem (panels #4 & 6) that Robyn’s eyes are not focused on Janice but, rather, on something (or more likely someone) behind her.

Today’s strip is chock-full of excellent facial expressions. Panel #4, of course, is quite dramatic and eye-catching. But Janice’s looks in 2 & 7 also nail it solid; Robyn in 3 has that quintessential “huhwuh?” of dawning comprehension. Even the “simpler” lines for 6 are about perfect.

Quibble on 6, though. Either Janice’s boobs have dropped or the table has risen by several inches. Compare & contrast first three panels.

Nit pick alert… nit pick alert… Okay. It’s the angle of the “camera” in that frame. If you look closely there’s a *shadow* under her boobs, as in there’s space there. I know, hard to tell in a small frame, and I’m crap at certain perspectives (I push myself a lot). So, she’s not on the table, but is closer to it as Dave has the right idea, she’s moved down a bit after Robyn slapped her hand away… kinda a natural defensive thing to do.

And yes, I pushed myself in this comic with angle and stuff. Some aren’t too bad, but I’m pretty happy with it. I could go easy, but what fun is that? Also, you guys wouldn’t have anything to quibble about! Quibble all you want, I enjoy folks actually look at the drawings (and IT is around her boobs, so nice…)

Also, there’s a line at the end of the opening for MST3K that I always quote in these situations:

“If you’re wondering how he eats and breathes
And other science facts,
Just repeat to yourself ‘It’s just a show,
I should really just relax
For Mystery Science Theater 3000.'”

(And just so another side is heard from: I’ve found that with the passage of many years and a second suck-and-see, some bands and genres of music seem less eurrggh-worthy to me – but not ELO. Never, never, NEVER ELO. Never EVER on my watch. There’s a fiftysomething family friend of ours who was and remains a rabid ELO fan, and not that long ago she subjected me to endless video and concert clips of them and…just…no. They were never musically and emotionally honest enough to be real rock and never powerful and multilayered enough to be really orchestral, and ultimately the compound weaknesses resulted in a brain-melting vanilla mush of elevator music. Not trying to change the opinions of anyone here, but I can’t stand by and say nowt in the face of all this adoration…)

I know ELO is the kind of band you hate or love. You have to remember there is a side of me that interned at a recording studio and nearly became an engineer (it’s just too boring for me). Many artists like Alan Parsons and ELO appeal to me due to the studio trickery they performed to get their sound. I like a BROAD range of music and if the artist didn’t pay his/her dues in clubs playing the blues, I can still like it. Few bands am I a true fan of … BTO is one of them and mostly because of their work ethic in the industry, but also because they knew what they played… simple boogie rock… and stayed true to that. BTO wasn’t the best at what they did, but they had a style, stuck to it and made a TON of money by sticking to a tried and true business plan. (Well, Randy Bachman made a ton of money…)

“I like a BROAD range of music and if the artist didn’t pay his/her dues in clubs playing the blues, I can still like it.”

Well, lessee…we just bought a recent David Garrett CD, which I love love love to bitty bits, and he certainly never paid his dues in clubs playing the blues 😛 And Gorillaz, one of my fave bands, never played ANYWHERE for most of their career,. heh – though I did see them live last year and the show was Too Awesome for Words… ~grins~

Well, I’ve spent 25+ years with people telling me why I’m supposed to venerate The Clash and The Sex Pistols instead of Yes and ELO so I know all about people people gushing over “just say no” junk.

If you only had one ELO fan to match the legion of punk rock zombies I’ve had to deal with over the years, count yourself lucky. The best part about getting old is you get to love your music all you want, and people FINALLY stop trying to sell you inferior replacements at the cost of social ostracism. “OK, I like Daft Punk, but then again look who they sample from”

Hang about – Yes were fecking amazing! Not often my personal cuppa, but I never had owt but respect for their musicianship and for the exquisite complexity of their (admittedly pretentious, but hey) music!

Oh, and I’ve *always* loved the music I wanted to love, at any age. Byron can attest to this. I’m a cantankerous bitch of long standing 😀

p.s. The Clash have had their moments. The Sex Pistols, though – total wank right from the off. Posing puling brats. I sneered then and I’ve never seen any reason to stop sneering!

Is Robyn barefoot in that first panel?! Wow! Even back in the ’70s the restaurants that my family frequented (and some of them were real dives — we tended to live in the poorer parts of town) required *at least* a pair of sandals on one’s feet in order to even enter, let alone be served.

Ah, another sharp-eyed reader! Nice! Yep, she’s barefoot… and she’s with a cop who’s a regular at the restaurant. So… yeah, the restaurant let her in. Kinda a standing joke is I never draw Robyn or Lorraine with shoes (while they’re in 1977).